Helium 3, Lunar Mining, Total Recall

[Sean Malone]

I read an article yesterday about the Chinese space program, specifically how the Chinese were planning on a manned mission to the moon and how there was interest to set up lunar mining. Evidently there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K tons of Helium 3 and virtually none on Earth. If scientists can fuse Helium 3 to itself the result would be nuclear fusion without a by-product. Pretty cool. It reminds me of the Heinlein books I read as a kid. Something actually worth going to the moon for.

“Just four tons of helium-3 would be enough to supply all the power needs for the United States for a year, two shuttle payloads according to Kulcinski.”
From wikipedia, Cosmochemist and geochemist Ouyang Ziyuan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is now in charge of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has already stated on many occasions that one of the main goals of the program would be the mining of helium-3, from where "each year three space shuttle missions could bring enough fuel for all human beings across the world."

According to Cheng, the Chinese are now embarking on a systematic space program the world has not seen since the 1960's and for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is facing real competition. That may explain why the head of NASA, Michael Griffin, recently warned that "China will be back on the moon before we are . . . I think when that happens Americans will not like it."

Interesting topic. Maybe they could make a lunar base for tourists with mutant district with real mutants ala Total Recall. I love it when life imitates art. :)

link (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/11/26/china.space.race/)

[RusH]

Pretty cool, zeppelins for everybody...and high pitched whiny people. Just don`t let the Saudis and Texans get there first.:gomer:

[cameraman]

Strip mining the moon? But what about the environmental damage?:tony:

[dando]

I read an article yesterday about the Chinese space program, specifically how the Chinese were planning on a manned mission to the moon and how there was interest to set up lunar mining. Evidently there is somewhere in the neighborhood of 200K tons of Helium 3 and virtually none on Earth. If scientists can fuse Helium 3 to itself the result would be nuclear fusion without a by-product. Pretty cool. It reminds me of the Heinlein books I read as a kid. Something actually worth going to the moon for.

“Just four tons of helium-3 would be enough to supply all the power needs for the United States for a year, two shuttle payloads according to Kulcinski.”
From wikipedia, Cosmochemist and geochemist Ouyang Ziyuan from the Chinese Academy of Sciences who is now in charge of the Chinese Lunar Exploration Program has already stated on many occasions that one of the main goals of the program would be the mining of helium-3, from where "each year three space shuttle missions could bring enough fuel for all human beings across the world."

According to Cheng, the Chinese are now embarking on a systematic space program the world has not seen since the 1960's and for the first time since the collapse of the Soviet Union, the United States is facing real competition. That may explain why the head of NASA, Michael Griffin, recently warned that "China will be back on the moon before we are . . . I think when that happens Americans will not like it."

Interesting topic. Maybe they could make a lunar base for tourists with mutant district with real mutants ala Total Recall. I love it when life imitates art. :)

link (http://edition.cnn.com/2007/TECH/space/11/26/china.space.race/)

Perhaps a shot across the bow is what America needs these days. IMHO, the Me generation has evolved (or devolved) into the I Want it Now generation, and it's not a pretty site. :\

-Kevin

[G.]

I thought Chinese Total Recall had to do with their industrial toy complex, not space.:confused:

[Gnam]

Ha Ha. :D


If they take all the helium out of the Moon, then won't it deflate and fall out the sky.

[cameraman]

If they take all the helium out of the Moon, then won't it deflate and fall out the sky.

Sad thing is a significant percentage of the US population would believe that.
:shakehead

[nrc]

My understanding is that the problem with fusion energy is more the efficiency than the byproducts. It takes too much energy to create the fusion to make it worthwhile with current technologies.

More likely they're planning to create a giant salvaged electronics dump.